Akbaruddin Owaisi plea to delay police deposition

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, booked for allegedly making a “hate speech” against a particular community, on Monday sought four days time to appear before the police.

Mr Owaisi, who was supposed to appear before Nirmal police on Monday, requested that he be granted four days to appear before them. However, police are yet to take a call on his request, a senior police officer said, adding the decision on whether to grant him the permission would be taken at a senior level.

Earlier, MIM workers turned up in large numbers at Shamshabad airport here where Mr Owaisi landed early on Monday morning. The MLA was reportedly in London for treatment.

As part of further probe into two cases, notices were issued to Ms Owaisi on January 4 and he was directed to appear before investigation officers of Nirmal (Rural) police in Adilabad district on January 7 and before the Nizambad II Town police on January 8. Another notice was served on Mr Owaisi by the Osmania University Police directing him to appear before them on January 10.

Two FIRs were registered suomotu at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts while a third case was filed against the MLA by Osmania University Police following a court directive after the Floor Leader in Andhra Pradesh Assembly had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month.

Mr Owaisi has been booked under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

He has also been booked under IPC section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).

PTI